《Sword Quest, Dragon's Magic: Gift of Air, Book 1》 Chapter 1: On Guard Our swords clashed, and the vibration raced up my already aching arms. That¡¯s when I spotted our enemy lurking around the corner of the house. If not for their elongated shadows appearing on the dome beside the house, we might have found ourselves caught off guard. This time of day created an almost perfect mirror on the plasglass surface. The red and orange light from the sun dropping toward the far horizon cast a back-shadow along the curve of the dome. Alyssa¡¯s carbon fiber sword painfully thwacked my arm as my gaze remained riveted to the more significant danger. Alyssa¡¯s surprise at getting through my defenses would have been hilarious, except she finally understood what distracted me. Immediately, she turned until her shoulder came up against mine as we created a unified front against the impending attack. ¡°We¡¯ve got this, Kat!¡± The men growled as they realized we were no longer easy targets. Rather than remain in stealth mode, they charged ahead, swords at the ready, while yelling out their battle cry. The swinging of their swords signaled they meant business. Adrenaline pumped with my first lunge, blocking my attacker¡¯s longer reach, the aching muscles of my arms long forgotten. I would have to defeat him fast before the last of my energy reserves ran out. I couldn¡¯t afford to fight elegantly. As the stronger swordswoman, I noted Alyssa seemed well-matched with her opponent as she held her ground. Not worrying about her, I parried several more blows while shifting my feet along the ground until I could hold a more defensible position. I hoped the dirt would obscure my opponent¡¯s vision, even to the point where I considered kicking some up into his face. As if it obeyed my bidding, the dry earth billowed in great plumes of dust around us as we continued to fight across the open, flat enclosure. Sweat caused rivulets to appear down my arms in the layers of filth settling onto my skin. Even the failing light would not create any advantage for me in this fight. My opponent¡¯s familiarity with this area equaled my own. No, I needed a break in his form or pray he grew tired before I collapsed from exhaustion. Alyssa let out a battle cry. The momentary distraction allowed me to thrust my sword forward and bring it to a swift halt at the edge of Drew¡¯s throat. ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Alyssa¡¯s announcement of victory a mere second later made my grin grow wider. ¡°I yield,¡± Drew said as he and Marcus let their swords fall until the tips rested on the ground. Only then did I let my battle stance relax. I wouldn¡¯t put it past the boys to renew their fight without any regard for the rules of the game. ¡°That¡¯s not very fair of you to ambush us at the end of our practice session.¡± I glared at Drew as I settled my sword into the scabbard at my waist. ¡°What? Do you think your real opponents are going to wait until you¡¯re well-rested and ready? You should be thanking us for pushing you harder,¡± Drew said. ¡°After all, we¡¯ve only got one more week until the tournament begins.¡± Alyssa defended me against her twin brother, ¡°Yeah, Drew, and I¡¯d say you¡¯ve got a lot more practice to get in. Even tired, we defeated both of you in less than ten minutes. How do you think the Sword Dome will have any chance of regaining the trophy in the Tatsu tournament with fighters like you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± Marcus said, a grin spreading across his face as he glanced over at me and quirked one eyebrow. ¡°All we need to do is make sure Kat¡¯s the last warrior standing in the ring. Our team just needs one supreme fighter. The rest of us will eliminate all of the lesser competition and leave you to fight their best.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Marcus to worm his way out of having to put in more practice time. I spent nearly every waking hour sparring with anyone who¡¯d put up with me. I wanted to lead us to victory. ¡°I don¡¯t just want to win for our dome. Think about the advantages the wins will bring to our families. We could move to Dome 1, have better food, and the best job choices after we take the FEE. I think we¡¯re able to win the trophies from every dome this year. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time we showed everyone that Dome 2 is the strongest and best?¡± Even as I spoke the words, my sister¡¯s voice in my head encouraged me. Her faith in my talent made me want to prove her correct. ¡°But what if any of us lose? We¡¯d have to take the Dragon¡¯s Dare and could end up worse off. Besides, it¡¯s never been done before,¡± Marcus argued, shaking his head as he lifted his sword to inspect the rough edge near the hilt where Alyssa¡¯s sword nicked off a chunk. ¡°Exactly my point. Don¡¯t you want to make a name for our class? This is our last year in school. We¡¯d be the first to achieve this monumental victory.¡± I couldn¡¯t let myself think of any of us failing. The Dragon¡¯s Dare held a twenty-five percent chance of certain death through the dragon passage. Nobody ever came back from there. ¡°I like it,¡± Alyssa agreed, a small grin lifting the corner of her mouth. I could tell she imagined us crushing the other teams. I knew that gleam in her eye, the kind she usually reserved for our scheming. She would stand with me until the bitter end, no matter the risk. I could not have asked for a better best friend. Just as I opened my mouth to tell them about my plan, the klaxon sounded, drowning out all conversation as the noise reverberated throughout the dome. As one, we turned toward the plasglass wall of the dome. That klaxon only sounded when Viceroy Blair¡¯s spaceship entered our airspace. With one last operational ship left and no spare parts to repair it, I enjoyed the rare sight of witnessing the majestic craft come in for a landing. All thoughts of the tournament left my mind as I pointed toward the heavens, where I spotted the lights surrounding the massive vessel. ¡°He¡¯s coming in pretty fast. I wonder if they¡¯ve got a problem onboard.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Drew said. ¡°He¡¯s just showing off.¡± We stood in silence for a few seconds as the ship¡¯s descent rapidly decreased. ¡°I wonder if they were able to bring back any new food synthesizers,¡± Marcus said, his nose almost pressed flat against the see-through wall. I shook my head. Leave it to Marcus to think first about food. Although, I agreed that the food quality dropped precipitously in the last couple of years. ¡°Forget that; I hope he brought back some new gear for the auchieball games. The helmet strap disintegrated in my hand as I tried to fasten it.¡± Even as I imagined the bounty held inside the incoming vessel, a streak of red lightning raced across the horizon. Almost immediately, another streak appeared, which could only mean one thing: a brewing storm. My heart constricted painfully. Last year¡¯s storm took my sister¡¯s life. To hide my tears, I said, ¡°Uh, oh. I think we¡¯ve just discovered his need for speed.¡± My attention remained divided between the sheets of lightning and the ship, trying to gauge which one would arrive first. ¡°A big storm is coming,¡± Marcus added unnecessarily. We could hope for two good outcomes. One, the storm would blow past the domes without going over us. Or two, Viceroy Blair could get the spaceship suitably docked before the storm hit. In any event, the maneuver held significant risk. The third outcome did not bear mentioning as it would permanently end our planet¡¯s space-faring ventures. Had my sister experienced anything when the last storm blew in? I leaned forward, wishing I could view the landing zone, yet knowing it stood just out of our sightline. If we lived in Dome 1, then we¡¯d have a perfect view. The electricity outside vibrated the dome and energized my body everywhere I pressed myself against the plasglass surface. In a minute, the converters would activate to harvest the energy and pull the feeling away from the dome¡¯s surface. Unable to see much after the craft moved past us, we waited for the klaxon to stop. The storm rolled closer, gaining momentum as it barreled over the barren countryside. Without any vegetation or landscape structures to slow down its advance, I knew we could expect a spectacularly fierce storm. My family knew the danger to the crew of the spaceship. Before my sister¡¯s death, we would have relished in viewing nature¡¯s rare spectacle beyond the safety of our dome. After several agonizing minutes, the klaxon¡¯s three final beeps signaled the successful docking of the spaceship. ¡°I should head home and get showered,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, you stink,¡± Marcus said. ¡°I think you¡¯re smelling the funk cloud surrounding yourself.¡± I discreetly tipped my nose toward my armpit. That would¡¯ve been embarrassing, although I didn¡¯t need to impress either of these two boys. I moved away from the dome wall and toward the side yard to leave. ¡°You¡¯ll come back after dinner, right?¡± Alyssa said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of missing Grandma Talya¡¯s storytime!¡± I broke into a trot to rush home. Chapter 2: Story Time While it may seem strange for a group of seventeen-year-olds wanting to sit around and listen to an old woman tell stories, something in the way she spoke about them made me want to believe in her outlandish tales. I sped through the kitchen on the way to my bathroom. Mom didn¡¯t even bat an eyelash at the layers of dirt caking my skin and clothes. Long ago, Mom gave up on trying to convince me to pursue more girly endeavors. Deep down, I think my accomplishments in the art of swordsmanship actually made her proud. ¡°Dinner¡¯s almost ready,¡± she said. With a lift of my hand, I replied, ¡°I¡¯ll just be five minutes.¡± I threw my shirt onto the floor even before the door fully shut behind me. With practiced ease, I used my toes to nudge off the heels of my close-fitting shoes. Seconds later, my belt, sword, and pants joined my top in a dusty heap as I stepped into the booth of the ultrasonic shower. Six minutes later, I sat across from my mom and beside my dad at our little kitchen table. Mom set the bowl down for Dad to serve up the gruel. I barely refrained from curling up my nose. Another nutritionally dense yet disgustingly textured meal. Ugh! I craved fresh fruit salad, but since rationing began, we saved it for special occasions or because of a rare abundant harvest. Those times seemed to be getting further apart these days. Dad said, ¡°It looks like I¡¯m going to have a late night with the inventory from Viceroy Blair¡¯s ship.¡± Mom¡¯s spoon stabbed into her bowl. ¡°He should¡¯ve waited until morning to dock.¡± Mom hated having disruptions in her evening plans. With the way her fingers clutched her spoon, I could tell something more significant bothered her, another painful memory probably brought on by the storm. ¡°I¡¯m sure he had his reasons, Charlotte,¡± Dad said, seemingly unperturbed. He heaped the gruel onto his spoon and hastily ate. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to find out what he brought back this time. Do you think we¡¯ll have the barter booths open tomorrow?¡± I hoped to lighten the tension spreading through the room. After my first bite, I copied Dad. Taking larger spoonfuls would end the torturous meal. We couldn¡¯t fault Mom for the less-than-stellar food; the blame landed squarely on the poor quality of the latest batch of government-issued rations. ¡°No doubt.¡± Dad knew how much I loved seeing the otherworldly artifacts brought in from Viceroy Blair¡¯s space-faring travels. I could well imagine the wealth of the universe if what he brought home were merely their castoffs and surplus. One day, I hoped to witness some of those things myself, but only if I scored high enough on my Federation Exit Exams, or FEE for short. Consideration for the space program, especially with only the one ship, went to the highest-scoring students. The idea of being relegated to some research lab for ten hours a day made me want to head straight to my room to study. Yet, one more reason for me to win the Tatsu tournament so I could get first dibs on the job assignments. Only two months remained until life as I knew it would forever change. Just one Tatsu tournament and the FEE stood between my childhood and adulthood.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Once the school year ended, I¡¯d be relegated to the workforce, issued my new housing, and then I¡¯d have to give up my dreams of being the best swordswoman Heliok has ever known. I¡¯d begin the future which my sister didn¡¯t find, the one she always wanted for me. Ugh, I couldn¡¯t think like this. At the same time as Dad, I shoved the last bite of gruel into my mouth. In unison, we pushed back our plastic chairs and grabbed our bowls from the table. Mom scowled up at us with her half-eaten food. ¡°I¡¯m heading over to Alyssa¡¯s house for storytime.¡± I put my bowl in the sanitizer bin. I should have opted to stay home to comfort my mom through the storm, but I just couldn¡¯t handle her melancholy mood one minute longer. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit old for that, Katherine?¡± Mom said from across the kitchen, where she remained at the table to finish eating. ¡°Leave the girl alone. In another couple of months, she won¡¯t have time for it.¡± Dad leaned over to kiss my forehead and hide his grin from Mom. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± I turned to leave with Dad falling into step beside me. We¡¯d grown so much closer in this past year; it physically hurt my heart to think about leaving my parents after graduation. ¡°Hugh, you make sure to check the airlock before you step foot onto that ship, do you hear?¡± ¡°I always do.¡± He blew a kiss back to Mom just before he shut the front door behind us. ¡°Will you bring home a copy of the inventory?¡± I crossed my fingers in anticipation. ¡°If I can.¡± His grin told me he already planned on it.
Staring up at the storm almost directly overhead considerably slowed my pace. Bright red lightning strikes hit one after another against the metal rods protruding from our dome, illuminating the black night sky. If only the storm could have remained free from the pull of our collection rods. I loved the wild gyrations of the red streaks, which fell too far away to be drawn to the tall metal. Brekke and I used to place bets on how far they would travel, giggling and shouting over who guessed better. The fierce and deadly winds outside our dome stirred a primal instinct inside me to fly freely through the skies as they did. Did my sister send this storm? After all, an identical storm prevented the search parties from going out to rescue Brekke before her evac suit ran out of air. I paused several seconds to soak in the beauty of the storm before I let myself in the front door of Alyssa and Drew¡¯s house. The dull roar of the other kids¡¯ voices let me know I¡¯d arrived late. The participants in our longstanding evening tradition grew substantially in the last five years or so with the addition of the younger siblings. Luckily, I didn¡¯t need to worry about where I¡¯d sit; Alyssa always saved me a spot right beside Grandma Talya. Yes, we all called her Grandma Talya. In actuality, Alyssa and Drew alone could validly claim to call her grandmother, but she became a surrogate grandmother to all of us who visited for storytime. Grandma Talya¡¯s storytime represented the most enchanting moments of my life. After Brekke¡¯s death, I knew she¡¯d live on in stories. We gathered around the evening¡¯s electric fireplace and listened to the unfolding tales of the mythical dragons. Not only did the dragons fly freely through the skies and live in harmony with the people, but legend also said they were responsible for keeping the land viable. The theme of hope always remained; just the details changed from one telling to another. Here, we could all dream of better times. Our dull daily lives held no meaning here. At tonight¡¯s gathering, the teenagers¡¯ faces held rapt attention as they listened to the story, beginning in the same manner as all of the previous tales. ¡°Long ago, when the dragons lived here on Heliok, the people lived in harmony with the gentle giants. Other rumors persisted about the dragons having the ability to talk with the people, although I don¡¯t know how much credence I¡¯d put into that detail. Anyway, I digress; the people lived alongside the creatures. ¡°The dragons claimed many different classes. The majority of them belonged to the working class. These dragons kept the plants growing, the water pure, and the air breathable. ¡°You could tell the dragons apart because of their particular colorations. The ones who took care of the plants matched their role with green bodies and brown underbellies. ¡°Likewise, the water dragons sported solid blue bodies, which some said came from the water itself. Lastly, the air dragons with their light blue bodies and white underbellies kept the air pure.¡± ¡°What were the other dragon classes, Grandma?¡± Drew asked. Never having heard this particular version of the dragon tales, I eagerly leaned forward. As if she considered how much she should divulge to our impressionable minds, Talya smiled at her grandson. Coming to a decision, she nodded curtly and began speaking again, ¡°There were two more classes: the royals and the warriors.¡± Chapter 3: The Choice ¡°What were they like?¡± Drew began to fidget with excitement at this new revelation. ¡°What colors were they?¡± Alyssa pointedly ignored Drew¡¯s glare. I would¡¯ve asked the same questions if my friends did not beat me to it. I wondered at Grandma Talya¡¯s quick creativity in making up these stories. Surely, not all could be figments of her imagination. After all, the best stories relied heavily on a version of the truth. I just needed to figure out which parts I should believe. Talya smiled at the twins before she shifted her gaze to the rest of us. ¡°Both very valid questions.¡± She nodded her approval. Did her pauses help her attempt to create more fanciful stories, or did she really struggle to retrieve the details from the recesses of her vast memories? My musings abruptly ended when she started speaking again. ¡°The royals kept all of the other dragons in line. The queens were deep purple with golden bellies. They ruled over their regions and could lay large clutches of eggs.¡± She pursed her lips, letting the seconds go by in silence, except for the crackles of the fire. ¡°The warrior class dragons were completely red, and they could breathe flame to keep order and defend the queens from anyone or anything attempting them harm.¡± ¡°Who¡¯d want to harm the dragons?¡± Drew¡¯s lowered eyebrows made him appear fierce even though the firelight highlighted the fuzz of his long-awaited facial hair. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised, my boy, how jealous people can become.¡± She paused again as if waiting for her audience to absorb her latest statement. Mere seconds passed before Drew¡¯s best friend, Marcus, spoke up with his opinion. ¡°So, the people thought they¡¯d be better off without the dragons?¡± His soft tone spoke clearly of his uncertainty. ¡°You guessed it. They complained about how much the dragons took from the people; they did have large appetites, after all, requiring quite a bit to keep them healthy.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Talya¡¯s statement sank in like a crushing lead weight. With how low our food supplies became, I could well imagine how the people would resist sharing with the voracious appetites of the dragons. But still, would I want them to leave? While entertaining, I always thought she intended for her stories to teach the younger generations about the follies of our past. She wanted us to have hope for the future, yet also know where our ancestors went wrong in their thinking. My gaze drifted over to the view outside the window. This house happened to be situated next to the dome, encapsulating our section of the world. Beyond the dome, the barren land could not support life; the cracked, dry earth continually shifted as the winds blew unchecked across the plains. If only I could have seen the planet during the times of the fabled dragons; it must have been a beautiful sight to behold. I rotated back to face Grandma Talya. ¡°Did all of the dragons die, or did they simply go somewhere else?¡± I dreaded uncovering the worst, yet I needed to know the unvarnished truth. ¡°Nobody knows for certain.¡± Talya nodded as if to herself, her gaze glassy with a faraway stare. ¡°Over the course of many years, fewer and fewer dragons were seen, until one day, no more remained. I¡¯ll let you decide what might¡¯ve happened to them as you sleep tonight.¡± She clapped her hands once, her usual cue to indicate the end of storytime. Standing along with everyone else, I stretched my legs until the blood began to tingle again in my toes. Noise filled the air with everyone talking and moving away from the living room. Tonight¡¯s story created quite an exciting buzz among our small group. The massive changes in the landscape and society of Heliok forced me to contemplate my life. How many more nights would I come here for stories? The tension of time slipped by where these days of idleness would fall into distant, fond memories. Unlike our ancestors, who simply thought about their immediate well-being, I wanted something different. Our world required drastic changes if we planned to grow and thrive. If I could bring back the dragons, I¡¯d do it. But that fanciful dream was merely that: a dream. I didn¡¯t want us to end up like the dragons. Already, our population kept decreasing. Pretty soon, we would all disappear along with our heritage. The stories wouldn¡¯t matter if nobody existed to hear them. I wanted to change the course of Heliok¡¯s future for the better. We deserved the opportunity to step outside the domes and expect to remain alive. The status quo didn¡¯t sit right with me. Any idiot knew that our systems kept failing, our resources were low, and the infrastructure of our domes could not be adequately maintained. I needed to do something audacious. Something brazen. Something worthy of my sister¡¯s sacrifice. I¡¯d lead the Sword Dome to total victory in the Tatsu tournament. Maybe then, people would take us seriously. Chapter 4: Dreams I ran through the kitchen, clutching the last nutrition bar. I hated the tasteless bricks, but my lateness kept me from attempting anything fancier for breakfast. Not that the synthesizer produced anything much better, now that I think about it. ¡°Better than nothing.¡± I bit off a hunk while rushing out the front door and into the bright sunlight of the new day. I hated having to rush after my alarm failed to go off, but the sunshine did seem to help ease my tensions. Besides, last night¡¯s dream almost made it worth being two minutes behind schedule. I tipped my head toward the warmth; the remnants of the storm debris caused strange shadows inside our dome. The clean-up crews would have to work overtime today, not that I envied them their jobs. Brekke used to tell me often about the strange problems with the domes they would encounter after an intense storm. As the sun rose higher, the unbearable heat would instantly burn bare skin, made slightly less dangerous by the air-conditioned evac suits the workers wore to survive the inhospitable climate outside the domes. Shivering, I imagined Brekke¡¯s fear during her final walk outside. Hopefully, she experienced a peaceful passing from oxygen deprivation before the storm whisked away all traces of her body. Today, I thanked my lucky stars for having my student status. My few worries consisted of memorizing data to regurgitate on the upcoming finals. Laughter caught my attention, causing me to shift my gaze to the left, where I anticipated Alyssa, Drew, Marcus, and Violet appearing from around the corner. Right on cue, they showed up, Alyssa raising her hand to wave at me. I rushed over to catch up with them. ¡°Sorry, I forgot to set my alarm.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no wonder with last night¡¯s storm.¡± I should¡¯ve known Alyssa would understand. Having been friends since we were born, she knew how much the storms fascinated me. They always had. I always stayed up much too late, lying flat on my back on the porch so I wouldn¡¯t miss a single streak of lightning or flinch as particles of flying debris hit the dome particularly hard. ¡°You should¡¯ve been in my room last night, Kat. I could almost swear something tried to get into my bedroom window with how hard the storm blew against the dome. You would¡¯ve loved it.¡± ¡°You got that right. Why didn¡¯t I think of asking my parents for a sleepover?¡± ¡°Maybe it had something to do with your dad¡¯s inventory list.¡± Alyssa held out her hand. ¡°Hand it over! I¡¯m dying to know what¡¯s coming to the barter booths!¡± Chuckling at her enthusiasm, I dug my hand into my bookbag until I touched the slippery film of the plaspaper. With a flourish, I whipped it out and let her snatch it from my unresisting grasp. ¡°Ugh! Why so many new slaves?¡± Alyssa wrinkled her nose. ¡°I know, right? I asked my dad the same thing. Mom told me that Silas has plans to open up the new mineshaft with the hope of retrieving enough metal and materials to complete a new dome.¡± By now, Drew leaned over my shoulder, reading the inventory sheet with as much interest as his sister. ¡°Yeah, Violet and I are working on a new design plan for the proposed dome in our advanced engineering class. We wondered what they planned on using to construct it.¡± Alyssa pointed to an item and glanced at her brother. ¡°Do you suppose this carbonized silica is for your project?¡± Drew shrugged. ¡°Dunno. Maybe.¡± Marcus pushed into the group. ¡°What about new synthesizers? Did those come in?¡± ¡°Sorry, no such luck,¡± I said. ¡°That sucks. So Blair brings more mouths to feed but nothing to feed them. Figures.¡± Marcus groaned, letting his feet drag as he fell behind us while he sulked. ¡°Not so fast, Marcus.¡± Having already memorized the list, I shared the most sensational tidbit with the group. Knowing their excitement for my news, I paused for effect. ¡°Viceroy Blair brought back several bushels of seed stock. All we have to do is plant them and see what comes of it.¡± ¡°Great! How long¡¯ll that take? I could starve before then. Besides, it could all end up being something inedible.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Marcus. There were celery, radish, lettuce, artichoke, and wheat. All of them are categorized under the edible column.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I wonder how soon we¡¯ll be able to test them in the ¡®ponics class.¡± Alyssa raised her brows with the expression I anticipated. I knew how much she loved experimenting in the aquaponics class we shared. While more her forte than mine, I enjoyed sampling the fruits of our labor. Literally. As a part of the curriculum, we needed to taste test everything edible to determine the proper harvest schedule. Some of us required more samples than others, if you know what I mean. Any further conversation regarding the food supply came to an end when our other good friend, Natalie, came bouncing out of her house to join us. Her trademark smile made it nearly impossible not to want to be friends with her. That and her wicked intelligence. Every day, since our first day of school, my core group of friends would walk together. We got caught up on any happenings from the evening before and discussed our plans for the day ahead. Of course, with all of our houses nearly identical in form as well as the streets aligning precisely to maximize the housing, it made it almost impossible not to run into one another. Unfortunately, Anna¡¯s early auchieball practice kept her from completing our group. With the tournament just around the corner, our practice times practically doubled. Not that any of us minded; the sports provided plenty of opportunities to beat the monotony of everyday life. Nor did Anna particularly need more practice, the girl¡¯s skill for the game bordered on magical. Rarely, if ever, did anyone manage to score against her when she played the goalie position. Technically, I should¡¯ve gone to practice today, as well, but without the aid of my alarm, that hadn¡¯t happened. I¡¯m sure the coach would have some uncomplimentary words for me later this afternoon. As if she read my mind, Natalie asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at practice, Kat?¡± I quirked my eyebrow and shrugged my shoulder. ¡°Yeah, I forgot to set my alarm.¡± ¡°Bummer. So what¡¯s this I hear about you wanting to win all the trophies this year?¡± Natalie fell into step beside me, displacing Alyssa. ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that?¡± Geez, I¡¯d just thought of it yesterday afternoon. Sometimes the speed of gossip within the domes could boggle the mind. ¡°I might¡¯ve mentioned something about it on my way home last night,¡± Marcus piped in from behind us. Natalie nodded, and I sighed. ¡°I think our dome could do it this year.¡± ¡°Sure, if only someone would lead us,¡± Natalie added pointedly. Her unwavering gaze let me know exactly who she voted to take the lead. Drew seconded, ¡°Yeah, Kat. You¡¯d make a great pusher; you¡¯re so bossy already. I elect you, especially since it¡¯s your brilliant idea. That way, if we fall short, then you¡¯re responsible for it all.¡± ¡°Thanks, I think,¡± I answered, although I couldn¡¯t stop the grin from quirking up the corners of my mouth. Drew spoke truthfully: I did tend to take the lead. Marcus walked faster to come into line with us, his face lighting up. ¡°I had the weirdest dream last night!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± How strange. I glanced at Marcus, indicating he should start talking while he did the same back to me. ¡°You, first.¡± Considering his quiet nature, I wanted him to talk since he brought it up. He grew more animated with the idea of sharing something new. A rare smile transformed his face. ¡°I dreamed we were all together, but we weren¡¯t here on Heliok. It¡¯s hard to explain, but so much greenness surrounded us like we were in the jungle. You know, like the ones we¡¯ve seen on the vid screens during a research study on the living planets.¡± The hairs on my neck stood on end as he spoke. ¡°And then, as we walked along, we heard a deafening screeching sound, and we all stopped to stare. You¡¯ll never guess what we saw!¡± His gaze caught each of ours in eager anticipation of our theories. I blurted, ¡°A dragon!¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Marcus¡¯s expression fell. Ah, man! I¡¯d messed up his moment of glory. Natalie chimed in, ¡°Duh! After all of Grandma Talya¡¯s new stories last night, of course, you¡¯d dream about dragons.¡± Marcus scuffed his shoes across the pavement. ¡°I guess that¡¯s probably true. Anyway,¡± he sighed, ¡°it was really cool.¡± I threaded my hand through Marcus¡¯s arm and held onto his forearm as we walked along. ¡°Well, I guess since Marcus has already cracked the dome, I dreamed about dragons, too.¡± I¡¯d stolen his thunder, but I could still keep him talking about it. ¡°What did your dragon look like?¡± Marcus nibbled on his bottom lip and thought about my question. ¡°I don¡¯t know really; it flew in the air, backlit by the sun. But, you know, the sky was really blue and clear without any haze and, of course, no dome. The air was so fresh and clean it was just like¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªheaven, maybe.¡± He blushed and glanced away, unable to meet anyone¡¯s eyes. I gave his arm a little squeeze. ¡°My dream was exactly like that, too. But in mine, the dragon came to land beside us. She was huge, with the most beautiful blue scales, and she mesmerized me.¡± Alyssa¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Weren¡¯t you terrified?¡± ¡°No. I was completely at peace like I instinctively knew I could trust her.¡± Even as the words left my mouth, I realized I¡¯d known the same kind of security I¡¯d once enjoyed with my sister. Could my brain be turning my sister into a dragon in my dreams to comfort me? Marcus shook his head. ¡°My dream didn¡¯t seem peaceful; it scared me, and I wondered what would happen if the dragon decided that it wanted to eat us.¡± We all laughed, just as Marcus intended. The closer we came to our school, the more kids left their houses to surround us. By then, we reached the edge of the study yard, and our conversations moved on to class assignments and summer plans rather than anything tournament or dragon related. Even with the bustle of all the other kids around me, my mind raced. On autopilot, I threaded my way through the crowds toward my first class in the astrophysics lab. Could my dream have been prophetic? It wouldn¡¯t be the first time, but undoubtedly it would have exciting implications if it came true. I shrugged it off. Grandma Talya¡¯s stories must have infiltrated the rational portion of my brain. Dragons didn¡¯t exist, not ever. Surely, evidence for their existence would have shown up in our history books. It seemed highly unlikely that creatures as big as dragons could simply vanish from our world without any explanation or evidence of their departure. Yet, the realness of my dream made me wish for more. I wanted to stand beside the massive creature, its warmth on my hand as I stroked its silky scales. More than anything, I wanted the dragon¡¯s reassuring voice inside my head again. Wait! What? I must really be losing my marbles. I can¡¯t continue to fantasize about imaginary conversations with mythical creatures. How much farther would I slip into this delusion? The coincidence between renewed thoughts of my sister because of the storm seemed plausible, but reimagining her as a dragon seemed a bit far-fetched. I needed to focus on my schoolwork, not some silly childhood fantasy.